"This isn't possible. I can't be forced into a marriage only for show. If I ever get married, it will be with the man I love, and that's not you. I'm sorry, sir! But I have to decline the offer. Find you another wife, and I'm leaving."
Mark's eyes grew stern, his customary affability melting away to see the cold determination below.
"I won't force you. Consider it an extension of your existing agreement. You'll receive a substantial payment at the end. In addition, Grandma Eleanor is ill and should be happy that I've found a permanent home. You don't want to let her down, do you? She seems to like you for whatever reason because I don't see any of the quality she's seeing. All I see when I look at you is a low-class woman with no pedigree who wants to climb high. In short... A social climber."
Joan felt a surge of annoyance and bitterness swell within her as the question lingered in the air, casting a shadow over the conversation like a hidden threat.
